Fellowship Details & Requirements

Our GME Office has preliminary eligibility requirements that all prospective trainees must meet before applying for a training program at our institution. In addition to these criteria, our program also the following requirements:  All candidates for the Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine (RAAPM) Fellowship Program must have completed a U.S. or Canada-accredited residency in Anesthesiology in good standing.  Each applicant must be ABA board-certified or board-eligible in Anesthesiology in order to begin the fellowship training. Please submit the following application materials to Monique Rodriguez at MJValdez@mdanderson.org. 

Required Application Materials: 

• Online Fellowship Application 
• Curriculum Vitae 
• Personal Statement/Letter of Intent 
• Letters of Recommendation – 3 letters from faculty anesthesiologists (one letter from training program director is required) 
• Letter of Good Standing (at current institution) 
• Medical School Diploma and Transcript 
• ABA In-Training and Basic Exam scores 

The purpose of the Acute Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia fellowship is to provide supervised training to board-certified or board-eligible anesthesiologists in the practice of direct acute pain management and medical consultation for the full spectrum of injuries, surgical and other invasive procedures that produce acute pain in the hospital setting.   An understanding of acute pain management is essential in cancer patients as the subset of patients undergo multiple painful procedures, including surgical intervention as well as palliation of pain from pathologic fractures and other injuries.  Currently, residents have a limited exposure to this critically needed area of expertise.  The main goal of this program is to develop expertise in intervention and management of acute pain medicine as well as regional anesthetic techniques to facilitate patient recovery and reduce pain in a safe and effective manner. This program also will teach the fellow how to manage acute pain with minimal opioids. Given the current opioid crisis and national opioid abuse problem, this is an essential skill for an anesthesiologist. 

The fellowship program is based in an institution with a rich tradition in cancer anesthesia care.  Our training goal is to inspire and to aid future leaders to advance their current education through developing advanced knowledge and skills in cancer anesthesia care while participating in a stimulating learning and research environment. Training experiences are substantially integrated with interactive teaching sessions focused toward understanding basic foundations of cancer anesthesia care.  Attendance is strongly encouraged at all core curriculum lectures, seminars, interdisciplinary conferences, institutional grand rounds, literature reviews, and evaluations must be submitted for each lecture attended.  The teaching capabilities of our fellows are enhanced by their direct participation as educators and presenters at various educational opportunities.  Formal oral presentations are made at lectures upon request from faculty. 

Fellows may attend medical meetings or conferences outside of the fellowship curriculum at their own expense and by using allotted vacation time.  Selected fellows will maintain the normal working hours of the clinical anesthesia service (Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). The fellow is expected to remain after normal working hours when making hospital rounds or to finish clinical duties. Additionally, each fellow will be “on-call” when the call experience adds to fellowship education. The program’s extensive clinic and educational duties does not allow for outside work; therefore, no “external moonlighting” is allowed.  Private practice of any capacity will not be allowed.  The department and MD Anderson require that all fellows enrolled in a one-year fellowship program participate in a research project for publication under a mentoring faculty member before a fellowship certificate is awarded. Fellows are required to report the number of hours worked per week, averaged over four weeks.  This information is submitted electronically to the GME office on monthly basis.  GME policy prohibits working more than 80 hours a week, averaged over a four week period.  This includes all Clinical Specialist activities and fellowship duties.   

GME Core Curriculum: Institutional lecture series exploring the basic science and clinical treatment of cancer. Once monthly.  

EBM Journal Club:  Educational modules sorted by blocks to include didactics on evidence- based medicine and structured analysis of seminal publications in the practicing field. Fellows are expected to read and critically evaluate all papers prior to the sessions. Fellows will provide critical analysis of a single article and discuss the implications in clinical practice.   

Journal Club: Bi-monthly conference to evaluate, analyze and discuss the latest publications in their area of practice. Fellows will be expected to present at least one journal club with a faculty mentor.  
Morbidity and Mortality (M&M): Monthly conference to review cases with unexpected outcomes or novel techniques. Fellows will be expected to present at least one journal club with a faculty mentor. 
 
Quality Improvement (QI) Certificate: All GME fellows at MD Anderson are required to complete an “Essentials of Quality Improvement” Certificate in order to complete graduation. Instructions will be given by the GME office. Fellows will then present their QI project at the end of the fellowship year.  

Upon completing the Regional Anesthesia Fellowship at MD Anderson, trainees will be equipped with advanced techniques in regional anesthesia and pain management. Fellows will gain expertise in performing a wide range of regional blocks, develop a deep understanding of perioperative pain pathways, and learn to tailor anesthesia plans to optimize patient outcomes. 

Our trainees have the opportunity to work alongside leading  cancer experts at MD Anderson and institutions across the Texas Medical Center. Additionally, our trainees receive exceptional support from the fellowship leadership team: 

In addition to gaining unparalleled education and training experience, MD Anderson trainees have access to exceptional resources and benefits to help them build meaningful careers and lead fulfilling lives.

Institutional benefits and support

GME trainees’ salary stipends are updated every year based on the ACGME’s recommendations, and because our trainees are considered workforce members, they also enjoy MD Anderson’s employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement planning, disability insurance and six weeks of parental leave.

Our GME House Staff Senate offers trainees the opportunity to experience a leadership role in a medical field career, and the institution’s Academic Mentoring Council provides avenues to secure tailored academic mentoring from faculty. Our GME trainees benefit from the extensive support offered to our research trainees, too; they are invited to participate in grant application workshops, apply for pilot grants to support their research ideas and receive monetary awards for securing extramural grant funding.

Trainee wellness is also of utmost importance at MD Anderson.

Our trainees have access to MD Anderson’s employee networks, fitness center and other wellness resources provided by the institution. Additionally, our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), which provides oversight of our accredited programs, regularly assess our trainees’ needs and implements various initiatives, such as providing free call meals and discounted parking to GME House Staff, to address those gaps. The committee even has a subcommittee entirely dedicated to supporting the wellness of our trainees.

Our efforts to ensure a welcoming and supportive education and training experience have been commended nationally. In 2023, the Office of Graduate Medical Education received the DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. Award, a prestigious national award that recognizes our institution for its respectful and supportive environment for delivering medical education and patient care.

Beyond MD Anderson

MD Anderson’s location has many benefits, too. Our main campus is nestled inside the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center which boasts about 10 million patient encounters each year. Many of our faculty are involved in interorganizational research collaborations, both within the TMC and across the nation, exposing trainees to groundbreaking advancements in medical care in real time.

Most importantly, the city of Houston is a great place to call home and raise a family. We are one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation. More than 145 different languages are spoken across the city, placing us behind only New York and Los Angeles. In fact, about 30% of the city’s population speaks a language other than English at home. And, paychecks here stretch farther than most U.S. metro areas, thanks to our low cost of living.

Visit our Why Houston page to learn more about our city’s affordable housing, fine dining, entertainment scene, nationally renowned museums and other great attributes.